Safety roll wringer



May '10, 1938. A. c. M coRD SAFETY ROLL WRINGER Filed March 21, 1934 2 Sheetls-Sheet l ATTORNEY}.

INVENTOR. A /Vj/7 51 M5 [0122 zi wawvw 7 May 10, 1938. A. c. MCCORD I 2,117,193

SAFETY ROLL WRINGER Filed March 21, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet fig. AZ. j

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INVENTOR. fl/w/z LT XV: [27rd BY AQL Patented May 10, 1938 PATENT- orrlce sme ma metit P has oimc ra. Detroit, Mich. Application February 21, 1934, Serial No. 712,320

This invention relates to safety =-rol1 wringers for electrically er other power operated washing machines. i v 1 Roll wringers as used on-these machines have 5 their wringer rolls power driven fromthe motor of the machine. The wringer rolls'are freely accessiblefrom the opposite sides of the wringer so that the clothes or other fabrics to be operated upon by the wringer may be directly inserted by hand into the rolls from either side. The rolls are reversible for .this purpose, there being a manually operable reversing clutch in the drive for the wringer for reversing the direction of rotation of the rolls at the will of the operator of the .5 machine. The rolls are pressedtogether with considerable force by a strong spring tension in the frame of the wringer to express the water from the wetted garment'sor fabrics passed between therolls in the use of thewringer; "Obviously, a serious injury is likelytooccurshould the hands or clothing of the operator-or othenperson at 'the ma hine be caught between the rotating rolls. This frequently" occurs through accident,-"'as*when' the operator or-bystander accidentally or otherwise touches' the turningflrolls on the feed-inside too {close "to'the line'of contact between them or when the'operators hands-or fingers are drawn into the rolls with a garment or-fabric being fed between -ti'1ein." *Wringrf'acciden ts may happen in other ways, and in all cases they are serious and produce painful injuries. Women and children are particularly subject to these accidents. Women usually operate these machines and children frequently have-unguarded access to them. .These persons are not sufficiently mechanically minded-to realize the care which must be exercisedin and about these machines and are frequently injured by beingcaught in the wringer rolls. These accidents when they occur are usually quite serious becausethepower on therollsis not cut' 01! soon enoughto guard against aggravated injuries.

A number of safety devices have been placed on the market to lessen the seriousness of these injuries by providing quickly releasable means for breaking the spring tension on the rolls. These devices however require the presence of mind of the operator or victim caught in the wringer to manually break the spring tension. In the case b of children and other excitable persons, these devices are ineffective to eliminate serious injury and considerable damage is done before the spring tension is released or the power of the machine turned oiif; 5 The general purpose and object of my inven- ,1 .112 Claims- (oi. 68- 32) tion isto overcome these objections by so mounting the wringer on its support that the wringer may be swung to either side of a normal operative position to release the wringer from the drive of the machine. Thus, the wringer may be' swung in response to the act of the person caught instinctively pulling away from the' wringer or pushing it from him. These re-actions occur instantly on the happening of the injury and presence of mind is not required to release the wringer from the drive. With the wringer v mounted to swing in either direction; swinging of the wringer-to release it from the drive is not confined to a forceapplied on the wringer-in one direction only. The drive will be released on pushing or pulling on the wringer from either side. Thus either re-action will release the wringerfrom the drive and the injury will not be aggravated should the person caught in the wr'ingerre-act'in one way and not in the other.

"To release the wringer from the drive, I provide a'clutch device having separable clutch members iri'tlie drive at the wringer. One clutch member iscar'ried by the wringer and the other is carried by the wringer support. These clutch members are separated on swinging the wringer with respectto the support.

A furtherobject of my invention is to so piv- I otally mount' the wringer with respect to the clutch device that the wringermay be swung to either side of the clutch device to release the same. 1 i A further'object of my invention is to provide this pivotal'mounting in-the form of a one point. support abovethe clutch device and at the adjacent end of the wringer whereby the weight of the wringer may be utilized to normally maintain it in its operative position-with the clutch mem bers engaged.

A further object of my invention is to provide guides on opposite sides of the clutch device to give the wringer an upward and outward tilt on being swung to 1 separate the clutch members as early as possible in the wringer movement to provide for a quick release of the clutch and to return the wringer to its clutch engaging p05"- tion on being released.

A further object of the invention is to have these guides angularly arranged to the pivotal support of the wringer that the latter will not he accidentally swung out of its normal operative position to release the clutch under the drag or pull of the garments on the wringer passing between its rolls.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety device to prevent re-engagement of the clutch device should the wringer while a person is caught in the wringer rolls return it to its operative or clutch engaging position.

A further object of my invention is to provide a switch device operable in the movement of the wringer to clutch releasing position to turn off the current to the motor of the machine and thereby provide an additional safeguard for lessening a wringer injury.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a roll wringer and its support, the wringer being mounted on the support in accordance with my invention; parts of the wringer and the support being broken away and in section, respectively, for the purpose of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, with parts in elevation, taken on. the indirect line 2--2 of F Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, with parts in elevation, taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. .4 is a-fragmentary perspective view of the wringer assembly and its support.

In the drawings, l indicates the wringer frame and 2, 3 the upper and lower wringer rolls which are rotatably mounted in the frame and pressed into tight engagement by the usual spring tension 4 with which wringers of this character are provided. The lower roll 3 is'the driven one and has its shaft 5 extending through the end of the frame adjacent the main support 6 for the wringer.

The support 6 constitutes the wringer head and has a housing at the upper end of a tubular member I in which is located the main drive shaft 8 for the wringer rolls. This shaft and its support are located abo e and to one-side of the tub of the machine and the shaft is connected to the electric motor on the machine below the tub as in devices of this general character.

'The gear assembly in the head 6 is of the reversible type and comprises, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, a pair of bevel gears 9, l rotatably mounted on a shaft l l journaled in the head and in alinement with the shaft of the lower wringer roll 3 when the wringer .is in its normal operative position. These gears are in constant mesh with a driving pinion l2 fixed to the upper end Splined on the shaft ll of the drive shaft 8. between the bevel gears 9 and I0 is a clutch collar l3 shiftable into and out of clutched engagement with the bevel gears by a handle member l4 located at the top of the gear housing. This construction is of the character usually employed in these assemblies and enables the direction of rotation ofthe wringer rolls to be reversed at the will of the operator of the machine.

The head 6 which provides the main support for the wringer is mounted on a stationary housing l5 usually in the form of a tube at the side of'the machine and providing a bearing and the drive shaft 8. This conforms to the usual form of swinging wringer mounting.

A box-like casting I8 is formed on the outer end of a boss I 9 on the gear housing 6. The boss l9 extends laterally from the housing and provides a bearing for the end of the shaft H adjacent the wringer. A flxture in the form of a plate 20 is fastened by bolts 2i over the'outer open end of the box l8. 'Il."his plate has ears to straddle the box atits sides and to receive the bolts 2| as shown in Figs. 2 to 4. The plate has an opening 22 in its portion closing the box l8 so that a clutch member 23 on the end of shaft 5 adjacent the box It may enter. the box to engage the cooperating clutch member 24 in the 'is in vertical allnement with the axis of the clutch device as provided by the clutch members 23, 24. This am's coincides with the axis of the shaft II and is longitudinally disposed. Shaft 5 is similarly disposed when connected with the shaft H.

A bracket also in the form of a plate 28 is secured to the end of the wringer frame adjacent the box l8. -This bracket has an opening 29 for the passage of the shaft 5 and extends above the box l8 where it has a socket member 30 fitting over the upper side of the ball 21, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. A fastening ring 3! is secured to the underside of the socket to maintain it in assembled relation with the ball. The construction shown and described provides a one-point universal pivotal mounting or suspension for the wringer on the support 6 above the clutch, whereby the wringer may be swung to either side of the clutch for disengaging it.

Plate 20 is provided at its sides with outwardly extending flanges 32, 33 and the plate 23 is provided with similar flanges 34, 35. These flanges are on opposite sides of the box l3 and overlap when the wringer is in its normal operative position with the clutch members 23, 24 engaged. The flanges are inclined outwardly and upwardly and serve when in-overlapping relation to hold the wringer against accidental swinging when in its operative position. The weight of the wringer holds the flanges in engagement, the pivotal mounting for the wringer being above the flanges and at the end of the wringer adjacent the flanges. Thus the drag or pull of the garments or fabrics passing between the wringer rolls in the use of the wringer will not swing the wringer out of its operative position to release the clutch. device between shafts 5 and H.

such drag or pull would be downwardly over the outer edge of the drain pan or apron 36 at the bottom of the wringer frame and would seat the wringer more firmly against the flanges, rather than swing the wringer out of its operative position. wardly and outwardly and converging toward the pivotal mounting of the wringer, they impart an upward and outward tilt/to the wringer when swung out of its operative position. This provides for a quick separation of the clutch members 23, 24 to release the wringer from the drive of the machine early in the swinging of the wringer. versal pivotal mounting for the wringer on its support. When the wringer is swung out of its operative position, the flanges on the far side of the wringer separate while those on the near side ride one on the other, as shown in Fig. 2. Thus, the contacting flanges in conjunction with With the flanges inclined up-' This tilting is permitted by the uni-.

the pivotal mounting support and guide the wringer in its swinging movement. The flanges are inclined rearwardly over the sides of the box I8 for this purpose.

As an additional safeguard to prevent accidental swinging of the wringer out of its operative position, I provide a coiled spring 31 at the bottom of the wringer. This spring, as shown in Fig. 1, has one end attached to the wringer frame and the opposite end attached to the plate 20 below the box 18. The wringer frame and the plate 20 have hooks or projections 38, 39 to engage the ends of the spring. The hook 39 is at the lower end of an outwardly and downwardly extended portion 48 at the lower end of the plate 20, as shown in Fig. 1. The spring 31 draws the wringer toward its support 6 and returns the wringer to its operative position on being released after a swinging movement. The inclination or angular arrangement of the flanges, plus the weight of the wringer also aids in its return, and would re-seat the wringer were the spring not used.

Should the operator or bystander be caught between the wringer rolls, the wringer may be readily swung out of its operative position to quickly release the wringer from the drive of the machine' This can be done by the instinctive re-action of the person caught either pulling away from the wringer or pushing it from him. No particular presence of mind is required to swing the wringer under these circumstances. The entire action is-more or less automatic and the wringer is quickly released from the drive of the machine before serious injury occurs. It is not necessary to have a free hand to swing the wringer as the wringer'may be swung when both hands are caught between its rolls. Moreover, it is not necessary to operate the handle l4 to release the drive on the wringer through the gearing controlled by the handle or break the spring tension 4 in the wringer by operating the lever 4| which is provided on the tops of most wringers for this purpose. The device of my invention provides an efficient safety roll wringer and one which may be swung by a force applied in either direction from either side.

As a further safety measure, I provide means acting automatically when the wringer is swung out of its operative position to prevent unintentional re-engagement of the clutch members should the person caught in the wringer in the excitement of the injury return the wringer to its operative position. This means, in theform as shown in the drawings, comprises a latch member 42 arranged above the clutch device and movable into the space between the clutch meme bers 23, 24 when separated. The latch member is carried by a. vertically disposed rod 43 slidably mountedin .the box I8 at one side of the clutch device and raisable by a. grasping portion in the knob 44 at the upper end of the rod op of the box, as shown in Fig. 3. When the latch member is raised it rides on the top of the clutch as its members revolve and drops by gravity into the space between them when they are separated, as shown in Fig. 2; As a further safety measure, a switch 45 may be incorporated in the machine at the wringer for turning off the current to the motor on the swinging of the wringer to either side of its normal operating position. This switch may be adjacent lower end of the plate 28. The construction is such that me switch is closed when the wringer is in normal operative position, whereas when the wringer is swung to either side of that position the holding force of the wringer on the switch will be released and the switch by its spring action will automatically open and out off the current to the motor of the machine.

The ball and socket 21, 30 provide a universal mounting for the wringer on its support and thus permit swinging as well as tilting of the wringer as it is moved into and out of its operative position. The ball may be made integral with the plate 20 or it may be in the form of a separate element attached to an outwardly extending portion 41 or flange at the upper end of the plate.

The details of construction and arrangement of parts shown and described may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention except as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

. 1. A wringer comprising a frame, rolls carried thereby, a frame support having drive means associated therewith, a clutch member carried by said support, a; second clutch member carried by said frame, pairs of brackets located on opposite sides of the operating position of the wringer frame, one element of each such pair being carried by said frame; the other element of each such pair being carried by said frame support, and hinge means located between the pairs of brackets and above the clutch members for providing, in cooperation with said brackets, a pivotal mounting for the wringer frame, whereby it may be swung out of operating position to separate the clutch members and release the rolls from the drive means.

2. In combination, a frame, rolls therein, support means for said frame, drive means for the rolls, and means yieldable to a lateral pressure for supporting said frame with said rolls in engagement with said driving means and for returning said frame towards operative engagement with said driving means upon release of said frame, said yieldable means being so associated with said frame and with said driving means as to yield to pressure exerted laterally on said rolls when said frame and said driving means are in operative relationship.

3. A safety roll wringer for washing machines, comprising in combination with the wringer frame and its support and a power drive for the wringer rolls, of a clutch device in the drive between said frame and support having separable clutch members, one carried by the support and the other by the wringer frame for connecting the wringer rollswith the drive in the normal operative position of the wringer frame, means providing a pivotal mounting for the wringer frame on the support above and in vertical alinement with the axis of the clutch, whereby the wringer may be swung to either side of its nor mal position to separate the clutch members to release the wringer rolls fromv the drive, and co-operating inclined guides on the wringer frame and the support on opposite sides of the clutch for imparting an upward and outward tilt to the wringer frame when swung to afford a quick release of the clutch members and to return the wringer frame to its, operative position.

,4. A safety roll wringer for 'washing machines,

frame'and its support and a power drive for the wringer rolls, of a clutch device in the drive between said frame and support having separable clutch members, one carried by the support and the other by the wringer frame, means including a universal joint and a cam for providinga pivotal mounting for the wringer frame above and in vertical alinement with the axis of the clutch, whereby the wringer framemay be swung to one side of its normal operative position to separate the clutch members to release the wringer rolls from the drive, and means co-operating with the clutch members when separated to prevent their accidental re-engagement on the' return of the wringer frame to its operative position.

b. A safety roll wringer for washing machines, comprising in combination with the wringer frame and its support and a power drive for the wringer rolls, of a clutch device in the drive between said frame and support having separable clutch members, one carried by the support and the other by the wringer frame, means including a universal joint and a cam for providing a pivotal mounting for the wringer frame above and in vertica'lalinement with the axis of the clutch, whereby the wringer frame may be swung to one side of its normal operative position to separate the clutch members to release the wringer rolls from the drive, and a latch member movable into the space between the clutch members when separated to prevent their accidental re-engagement on the return of the wringer frame to its operative position.

6. A safety roll wringer for washing machines, comprising in combination with the wringer frame and its support and a power drive for the wringer rolls, of a clutch device in the drive between said frame and support having separable clutch members, one carried by the support and the other by the wrin'ger frame for connecting the wringer rolls with the drive in the normal operative position of the wringer frame, bracket members secured to the support and the wringer frame, respectively, at the clutch device and extending above the same, interfitting ball and socket members on the brackets above the clutch and in vertical alinement with the axis thereof whereby the wringer frame may be swung out of its normal'position to separate the clutch members to release the wringer rolls from the drive, and co-operable inclined flanges on the bracket members on opposite sides of the clutch to give an upward tilting movement to the wringer frame on being swung to provide for a quick separation of the clutch members and to cause the wringer frame to return to its operative position.

'7. In combination with a plurality of rollers supported in co-operative squeezing engagement and meansfor driving said rollers, means for supporting at least one of said rollers in yieldable engagement with said driving means and for moving the axis of said roller along a conoidal surface out of engagement with said driving means upon the application of a force to said roller tending to separate it from said driving means.

8. 'In combination a squeezing device having a plurality of co-operating squeezing elements supported in cooperative squeezing engagement air-mos and including a roller, drive means for actuating said device, and means for supporting said device in engagement with said driving means and for moving at least one of said elements along a curved path to a position above its operating position upon the application of a drive-disengaging force to said device in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis of said roller.

9. A safety roll device, comprising in combination with the device, its support, and a power drive for the device, means providing a mounting for the device on the support, said means having elements including a hinge and a cam so arranged and so located with respect to said device and said device moves about a plurality of axes in a direction having both a horizontal and a vertical component when said device is forced out of engagement with said power drive by a force exerted laterally of said device.

10. A safety roll wringer, comprising in combination with the'wringer frame and its support and a power drive for the wringer rolls, a clutch device in the drive for the wringer rolls, and means including a universal joint having parts associated therewith for providing a pivotal .mounting for the wringer frame on the support in line with and transverse to the axis of the to its normal position in engagement with the' clutch after lateral displacement therefrom.

11. A safety roll wringer, comprising in combination with the wringer frame and its support and a power drive for the wringer rolls, a clutch device in the drive'for the wringer rolls having separable clutch members, one carried by the support and the other by the wringer frame for connecting the wringer rolls to the drive in the normal operative position of the wringer frame, andmeans including a universal joint and cam means associated therewith for providing a pivotal mounting for the wringer frame onthe support in vertical alinement with the axis of the clutch, whereby the wringer frame may be swung upwardly and outwardly to either side of its normal position to separate the clutch members to release. the wringer-rolls from the drive.

12. In a rolling device, a roller, drive means for said roller, and means for pivotally supporting said rolling device in releasable engagement with said drive means and for pivoting said rolling device about an axis lying at an angle to the horizontal and to the vertical upon theapplication of a force to said device in-a direction having a horizontal component tending to release. said rolling device from engagement with said drive means.

A. C. McCORD. 

